


Overpowering Instincts

by GrowlingTitanBaby



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Shifters, Stardust - Freeform, Supernatural Elements, Vampires, Violence, Witches, Yaoi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-07
Updated: 2017-06-19
Packaged: 2018-02-16 10:21:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2266140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GrowlingTitanBaby/pseuds/GrowlingTitanBaby
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eren Jaeger is a Shifter: he can control all four of the powers. They are: daemon, vampire, stardust and witch. He's like the Avatar of the supernatural world. He can control all but one power, that being his vampire power; he refuses to so much as acknowledge it's existence for fear of becoming a monster: and then Levi turns his world into a swirl of steel, violet and crimson gazes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Simple and Clean

**Author's Note:**

> My fic related tumblr is   
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/growlingtitanbaby  
> Please use this as your primary way of asking questions/making suggestions as I'll reply quicker on there ^^

_**Erwin – 3 messages received** _

_**Eren, you’re going to be late for your shift. (19:15)** _

_**If you’re any more than half an hour late then you’re not playing, tonight. I don’t care if it’s your birthday – you still need to do your job. (19:30)** _

_**I swear to God, Eren, I will pack the God damned grand piano away if you aren’t here within the next half an hour. (19:35)** _

Eren was literally fucked. He’d been walking down from the Police Station for the past hour, all because of his ‘friends’ throwing him a ‘surprise’. He’d known it was strange when he’d received a message from Marco during lunch, asking him to meet him in the courtyard across from the car park; he’d known that something was up when he turned up at said location to find Jean holding Marco in a head lock. Marco didn’t get into fights: he wouldn’t be called freckled Jesus if he did. He knew something was seriously wrong when two senior year students had come up behind him and pulled his arms tightly into their grasp, trapping him as he’d watched the scene before him.

\---

Marco was crying, silently taking the beating from Jean because he knew that if he spoke up he’d only get kicked in worse. His face was battered; jaw out of place, both eyes lined with dark purple and green bruises, lip split and nose bleeding. Eren felt nothing but rage while watching the scene, wanting nothing more than to pound Jean’s long face into the stony ground; but could do nothing, due to the two men behind him, except one thing. Scream. And scream he did. As he watched his friend become limp in Jean’s arms, Eren screamed like an animal. Any words that held meaning were screeched into the cool evening. “ _Fire! Rape! Bloody murder!”_

Other words also left his mouth – ones that he already regretted. Words that he had refused to ever speak again, unless said in his original tongue. Whether the men there understood his words or not, he knew that what he was saying produced darkness around him that made the seniors behind him loosen their grip for a few seconds. Long enough to pull out of their grasp; tearing at their arms with ferocity he thought he'd long lost.

Spinning on the spot, Eren’s right fist collided with one of the senior’s jaw, his other hand reaching to grab for his hair – yanking his head down into his raised knee. God, it’d been long since Eren had fought. The rush of adrenaline he got as he felt his opponents nose break upon his knee made his vision blur. Throwing the man aside, he started for the second: he wasn’t a hard catch. As soon as Eren had turned his head to look his way, the man had gone limp from his legs up.

“You’re going to fucking regret ever picking this fight with me.” He whispered, lunging for the senior. The man yelped as Eren pounced onto him, pinning him to the ground with inhuman strength that he’d forgotten he had. Eren’s knee collided with the elder man’s stomach, winding him in a way that sent his opponents eyes rolling into the back of his head. Standing slowly, Eren decided to give up on this one. Who he really wanted was Jean. He’d wanted to smell his blood upon his knuckles for a _long_ time, and this was his chance. Jean deserved everything that was going to happen; not just for Marco’s revenge, but for everyone’s revenge. He was a glorified ass, and, hell, Eren hated him.

As Eren turned his back to the two unconscious seniors, he felt his head pound. If he didn’t calm down soon, he’d end up losing it. Everything he, Mikasa and Erwin had tried to contain would be spilled onto this ground – cursing it. He’d become his father for a split second. A monster: a murderer. Everything he desperately didn’t want to be. He had to make Jean suffer, but not how Eren had to in a year’s time. Jean was an ass, but he didn’t deserve that. Nobody did. Being born into it was bad, but being turned? Hell, Eren would _never_ wish that upon someone – not even Jean.

Marco was lying on the ground, twitching slightly as his eyes visibly rolled back into his head. Eren could hear his slow heartbeat from where he was stood: heightening his awareness of how close to crossing the line he was. _He’s going to fucking die. That bastard._ Marco made eye contact with Eren for a split second, and that’s when he’d seen the long, jagged cut – from his temple to his jaw-line – seeping with blood. At some point during the thirty-second spar Eren had had with the seniors, Jean had pulled a knife on Marco. Said Jean was still holding said knife, a manic smile ghosting over his features. His pupils were dilated, and Eren caught the faintest scent of vinegar as he flexed is arm. If Eren couldn’t see the slight bruise in the crease of his elbow then he would have deemed the guy nuts. He was high; absolutely lucid, by the look of it.

“Geez, Eren, I didn’t even get to finish playing.” Jean smirked slightly as he spoke, his eyelids drooping slightly. The guy was going to be like this until he passed out, he figured, and so Eren decided to stop it.

Walking steadily, Eren approached Jean with a coolness that he was all too familiar with. He didn’t flinch as Jean rushed towards him, knife directed at his stomach; he also didn’t flinch as the knife collided with his skin, entering his body with a sound like tearing paper. It was Jean who flinched, as he heard the faint rip; it was Jean who flinched when Eren removed the weapon from his body without a trace of blood. Oh, how it felt good to be filled with power. His adrenaline had overtaken in such a rush that the reaction had happened without his noticing. Nothing could stop him now: not until he had fulfilled his wish. _He had to make this bastard suffer._

“Geez, Jean,” Eren whispered coolly as the man passed out, hitting the ground with a loud thud, “I didn’t even get to _start_ playing.” His vision suddenly turned to black and white, his skin turning cold, the same as his blood. Top lip curling, he let out a primitive snarl, lunging at the unconscious bully. He would give Jean _one_ reminder of this fight. Landing over him gracefully, Eren picked up the knife – holding it above his bruised elbow – and slowly placed it on his bruise. He could see the blood running through his veins, tinted yellow from the heroin, and he wanted the police to know about it as soon as they saw the fucker. Lightly, he broke the skin; carving a circle around his bruise, then another and then another. _Bull’s eye._

He lightly placed the weapon back in Jean’s limp hand, not caring to wipe the weapon as he didn’t really exist in this state. As a Shifter, Eren didn’t leave fingerprints; he didn’t leave DNA upon objects that he touched. _That_ he’d learnt a long time ago. He could hear Marco’s breathing as he crawled towards the boy, picking him up slightly to cradle him in his arms, holding him close and asking him if he was alright. Marco said that he was fine. _Fine._ “I’m fine,” he’d said, voice shaking slightly, “what about you?” Eren had frozen in place. Shit, he’d forgotten that Marco had seen scenes like this before, and he suddenly wished that he was unconscious. Marco was one of the only four people that knew about his powers, and he had tried his hardest for _so long_ to keep from Shifting.

Clearing his throat, Marco had piped up with, “You haven’t done that in a long time. He must have really pissed you off.”

“Of course he pissed me off,” Eren had whispered into his hair, holding him closer than necessary, “you could have died.”

Marco’s breath had stuttered at that comment, and with that he’d broken down in his arms.

\---

After that, Eren had called the police. They turned up merely minutes after contact, due to already being informed of the screams by some pedestrians near the University gates. Jean and the seniors were taken into custody, and Marco was coaxed into an ambulance by a nurse.

And that’s how Eren had ended up walking from the Police Station – an hour and a half away from his home – and, also how he’d ended up running late for his shift in their café. He was a few blocks away when he felt his phone vibrate in the pocket of his skinny jeans.

_**Erwin – 1 new message** _

_**Eren, you’d best be home soon or I’m sending Mikasa to find you. (19:45)** _

Eren cringed inwardly at the idea of his sister coming to get him; she, too, had powers. Mikasa’s powers were not the same as Eren’s, though, as they weren’t really blood related. Mikasa was adopted by Erwin before Eren, and so when Eren turned up with raging powers Erwin was not scared in the slightest. When Eren had arrived at _Smith’s Tea & Cake café_ nearly sixteen years ago, he was not expecting to smell sandalwood and ginger: the tell-tale scent of a daemon. His first instinct had been to destroy the daemon as soon as possible, but when he saw Mikasa – he couldn’t help but feel strongly about her. She looked so lost, back then, and she was obviously scared of Eren. Erwin had introduced them to each other slowly, taking his time to assess the situation: he knew that there was some sort of clash going on. Eren came out boldly, stating what he was; Mikasa did the same. From then on, Erwin had made sure that Mikasa always had his back.

_**To: Erwin** _

_**I’m just around the block. Something happened. I’ll tell you later.** _

_**(19:47)** _

Eren slipped the phone back into his pocket and drifted closer to the café. He’d wasted no time while texting – he didn’t need his powers to remember the area so clearly – and hadn’t stopped his stride. The area around him was so familiar to his body that he could walk home with his eyes closed if he didn’t have senses that let him see where he was going even _with_ his eyes closed. That was the frustrating thing about being a Shifter. From what Erwin and Eren had discovered, Shifters could control all of the powers that existed; he could control fire and read people’s minds like a daemon, he could cast spells and perform magic like a witch, and he could also change forms – like stardust, but less spectacular. This was all due to his adrenaline. Eren’s adrenaline contained sparks of all the powers, they just needed to be trained and brought out of him. Eren had come to the conclusion to call himself the Avatar, as an inside joke with himself. The only issue was that he had yet to find a vampire to bond with and learn from: if you could even call that an issue. Eren had purposefully avoided any vampires in hope of keeping that power dormant; it was the most reckless one to have, and he certainly had had enough of it with the taster he constantly had when near blood.

Turning the corner, Eren saw the café ahead of him, a figure standing in the window. Erwin was looking at him, a scowl turning into relief as he recognised him. Eren felt like a child as the door was opened and he was ushered inside, Erwin giving him a half hug as he lead him through to the _employee’s only_ area. Once behind yet another door, Eren headed straight to his locker, taking out his apron and putting it on over his current clothing.

“What happened, Eren?” Erwin’s voice was laced with concern, his worry also evident on his face as Eren turned to face him: his boss and father.

“Jean happened.” Eren stated clearly, looking into Erwin’s eyes. Looking up at him, Eren could see that he’d been frowning the whole time that Eren was gone, and he could see that he was also excited. “He was off his face. He’d got a hold of Marco’s phone, told me to meet him in the courtyard, when I got there he had Marco in a head lock and was beating the shit out of him.” Eren lazily ran a hand through his hair and sighed shakily. Erwin wouldn’t like the next piece of news one bit. “Two seniors had a hold of me and I started screaming, then they got creeped out by me and I beat the shit out of them. They were slow, it was easy. When I turned round, Jean had cut Marco’s face open, right here.” He drew a line on his face with his fingernail to show Erwin where his friend had been sliced, and his father looked pale, knowing where this was going. “Jean attacked me with the knife, he stabbed me in my stomach,” he didn’t want to tell Erwin the rest, “and then he passed out,” he _really_ didn’t like the look on Erwin’s face “when I pulled out the knife and it was clean. I didn’t bleed. I shifted.”

Erwin’s face was pale and he was frowning in such a manner that Eren could have sworn he saw the wrinkles on his face stick for a few more minutes even after he had stopped frowning. He seemed to think about what Eren had said, and for a long time, too.

Almost too long.

“You said that he was high?” his voice was thick and strong, almost like dark chocolate, as he spoke.

“Yes, I could smell and see the heroin running through his veins.” Eren winced at the memory of the dirty, grainy looking blood that slowly made its way around Jean’s body. It was a miracle that he hadn’t stabbed himself at some point, given how high he was. “The police also checked him, finding that he very nearly overdosed: the bastard was lucky that he didn’t white out.” The slight nod of Erwin’s head gave Eren all the approval that he needed before he spoke again.

“Do I still get to play?” he asked; his voice quiet and full of uncertainty. Erwin looked shocked for a moment, having not seen Eren look or sound so anxious in a very long time. The boy was practically shivering, most likely from the idea of rejection. He lived to play the piano, Erwin had learnt, and was subjected to the small piano in the apartment as the grand piano in the café was off limits: until tonight. Eren’s birthday was the day that most customers looked forward to, as Eren would play from 18:00 onwards – until his fingers were sore. He could play until the sun came up, if he really wanted, as there were no neighbours living in the apartments next to the café. Playing the piano was his gift: the only thing that he could turn off his powers to do.

“Of course you do,” Erwin smiled, grabbing Eren’s shoulders lightly and bending down to look into his eyes, “you know I couldn’t ever say no on your birthday.” And with that, Eren’s face lit up like a neon sign. He practically pounced onto the older male, hugging him tightly and squealing praise into his ears. Erwin squeezed him back, spinning him around slightly. The two had never had the ‘we’re men and so we treat each other like men’ issue, and just showed their emotions in the easiest way possible: the natural way. It would seem odd to other men who saw them, but it didn’t bother the father and son.

Eren flung himself out of Erwin’s arms, heading straight for the door back into the café. Customers turned around at the loud thud of the door swinging open, only to smile when they saw the excited boy. They all became excited at his excitement, and he heard a few ‘whoops’ and wolf whistles as he walked past the bar towards the raised platform at which the grand piano rested. It truly was a beautiful instrument. The legs were carved intricately into a gothic design that made the piano look grand enough to be played for the queen, and the white varnish shadowed the little dents and curves perfectly – giving it the illusion of being old and unused. It was very much old, and also very much unused, but Eren made it almost religion to clean it twice every day.

As he walked up the two steps to the rope barrier around the raised platform, he felt himself calm down. Un-hooking the rope, he let it drop down to its pole as he wandered over to the grand piano. Eren ran his fingers along the surface of the instrument, lifting the key cover slowly. He had played on the piano upstairs this morning, knowing that when this time came he wouldn’t want to warm up. Pulling out the bench, he sat down. Eren had played the piano since before he can remember entering school; it had been something that happened naturally for him, more naturally than walking. He had first touched a piano when he was still in a pushchair, and that had been all thanks to his mother, Carla. She owned a piano, but her partner, Grisha, hated the instrument; so, she moved it into a rented apartment where she would go to play. The apartment contained only the piano, a sofa and a bed – as well as a kitchen and bathroom. Carla had stolen Eren all for herself for a few hours, and decided to take him to the apartment. She sat him on her lap as she played, and had almost cried when Eren reached out to ouch the keys. That had become their haven, from that day onwards; until they noticed Eren’s powers. Both of his parent’s had died because of him, but his father had already deserved it.

“Good evening, customers,” Erwin stood at the front of the café, smiling brightly when everyone in the shop started cheering, “tonight’s a special night, as you all know. Eren is turning twenty years old!” The entire café was a roar of applause and cheer, people smiling and whistling. Eren loved that everyone enjoyed his talent as much as he did. “You are all welcome to stay for as long as you’d like, as Eren will probably be playing until the sun comes up,” with that, he sent a wink in Eren’s direction, making him blush and laugh out of embarrassment, “but, drinks will only be served between songs once it turns 03:00, due to the staff being reduced to just me and Eren.” The bar staff cheered loudly at that, happy that Eren had convinced Erwin to let them leave at their normal time. “Well, I suppose I should shut up and let the boy play, eh?” he asked, teasing the customers. Many laughed at his humour, others cheered – and soon, they were all chanting Eren’s name. “Alright, alright.” Erwin shouted over the crowd, calming them slightly, “let the playing begin.” He swung his arm in Eren’s direction and he simply nodded in acknowledgement.

Eren was more than ecstatic to play tonight: he’d practiced a few new songs for everyone’s entertainment. One of which was his new favourite song, performed by his favourite band _Humanity’s Strongest_ – the song called _Hikari (Simple and Clean)_. It was sung in Japanese on first release, and soon the band had sent out the English version – Eren was in love with both versions of the song, as they were really just the same thing. The reason he had fallen in love with the song, though, was that the vocalist of the band had personally invited his fans to cover the song and perform it for whomever, no copyright at all. Also, his voice was like sweet hot chocolate; soft and sure and will always make you feel better. You could feel every emotion in every song, every word was real, and every scream and high note was done for the song – not for the fans. That was why Eren had gotten quite a crush on the man. He felt the music, just like Eren did. Not only that, but he was undoubtedly beautiful.  

Eren glanced at Erwin, who was stood near a table in the corner, talking to a man in a hoodie that Eren had never seen in here before. He was short, and looked to be rather comfortable around Erwin; how Eren didn’t know who he was, he didn’t know. Erwin turned his attention to Eren, giving him a smile and a thumbs up. He then turned back to the person stood next to him, saying something that made him shake with laughter. Slowly, Eren turned his head back to look upon the piano. He stroked the keys three times, religiously showing the piano that he meant it no harm – all he wanted to do was prove how beautiful it is.

Taking a deep breath, Eren closed his eyes; placing his hands in position, he pressed down onto the keys. The song was memorized. He’d practically engraved it into his mind, along with every other song he could play on the piano; his hands knew what to do, and so he just let them do their thing. He was more excited than ever. No one could explain the happiness Eren felt while playing, not even himself. He didn’t need to think. He just needed to do.

The chords sent shivers down his spine, and he often found himself moving along with his hands; every chord would result in a lean forward, every new note sent him bouncing in his seat from the way his body moved with the music.

One could say that the song was over far too quickly, but Eren could only think about how proud he was. He really lost himself in the song, as he didn’t even realise the applause and cheers coming from the crowd until he opened his eyes. His zone was special, but also left him clueless to everything outside of his eyelids – using powers during piano play was something Eren couldn’t do. Eren was sweating slightly, and shaking when he’d come down from his music high; the café was still cheering for him, and he only thought it polite to bow slightly in his seat. Erwin was whistling, and the man stood next to him was clapping enthusiastically. They shared a look that Eren couldn’t see, due to the stranger having his hood up, but Erwin seemed pleased, to say the least. Turning back to the piano, Eren thought of the next song he wanted to play: _Don’t go_ by a Korean boy group called _Exo_. And play he did.

Eight songs and a quick hot chocolate later, Eren was joined at the bar by his best friend, Armin, and Mikasa. Armin’s blue eyes sparkled as he spoke enthusiastically to Eren about how absorbed he was while playing, and Mikasa could do nothing more than nod. Soon enough, though, Eren had to leave their company to play once again. The next song was emotional, and he often found himself getting a bit too caught up in the moment. _Eyes, Nose, Lips_ by a Korean guy named _Taeyang_.

Eren found himself crying as he neared the end of the song. Each time he played it, he was reminded of the lyrics – how full of emotion Taeyang’s voice is, how the video is so simple but so beautiful. The image of a woman going up in flames entered his mind as he played, and he couldn’t help but accent the notes as much as possible: hoping that the crowd would feel the emotions as he played them out for them.

When he was done, he sat there wiping his tears for a few seconds; turning to see the crowd also crying, silently wiping away tears. He smiled to himself. He’d done it. Portraying the emotions of a song without the lyrics wasn’t an easy feat, but he’d done it. Looking above the bar, he stole a glance at the clock. 22:50. He decided to take a break.

Getting up from the bench, he set his destination to join Armin and Mikasa once again; only to be interrupted by Erwin.

“Eren, come with me.” He grabbed Eren’s hand with a strength that he’d forgotten his father possessed, and pulled him over to the corner where the mysterious hooded man was lingering. Once they reached him, Erwin let go of Eren’s hand and began talking to the figure – a strangely familiar voice seeping out from underneath the hood. Said figure then turned to face Eren and spoke directly to him, “Hey, Eren. You’re really talented, you know?” a smile was evident in his voice and Eren couldn’t help but blush.

“Thank you.” Eren said quietly, running his hand through his hair, making it fall back in front of his eyes. The figure laughed gently and reached his hand forward to move Eren’s fringe, brushing it to the side; his touch was cool and soft, and Eren felt his temperature rise yet again. The stranger leaned forward to get a closer look at Eren, and his face was caught in the light. Eren’s heart stopped. There was no way that those piercing grey eyes belonged to him, or that his usually indifferent expression was wiped away, replaced by a smile that Eren could only describe as beautiful. This couldn’t be him. There was no way.

“You have lovely eyes,” the man stated, and Eren felt his head become light, “and you have an amazing talent.” His hands came up to fiddle with his hood, and then his hands slipped around the material. “I was wondering,” Eren could see his raven hair, his pale skin, “would you like to,” his nose and lips were now in plain sight, “play for my new album?”

The hood fell completely back, and Eren could see him. It was him. The man that sent him to sleep every night, the man that was known for being a complete ass, the man who Eren had only ever dreamed of being in the same town as. Eren’s eyes travelled over every single feature: his hair, his eyes, his nose, his lips, his chin, and his ears. His ears were what got Eren – he had them; the little black studs: three in his right ear, four in his left.

Eren felt sick, almost to the point of throwing up his hot chocolate. Only one thing came to mind. He had to know. He had to be sure.

“Levi?” he whispered, staring wide eyed at the man in front of him. His eyes scrunched up at the sides and he let out a breathy laugh, a husky laugh that had Eren’s adrenaline pumping. Looking carefully, Eren saw that Levi had perfectly white, straight teeth. Suddenly, an overpowering smell of lavender had Eren’s powers in full drive. He’d been warned of that smell. That meant he was in the midst of a vampire.

“The one and only.” Levi held out his hand, and Eren couldn’t stop himself before his hand landed in his; there was a strong reaction, and Eren wasn’t the only one to feel it. Levi’s whole demeanour changed once he felt it, and he suddenly yanked Eren’s wrist up to his face. Eren thought it was all over as Levi sniffed at his wrist, licking his pulse point; Eren thought that every wall he’d built up against vampires was going to be for nothing. He was wrong. Levi did nothing but lick his wrist, and press a small kiss to the back of his hand. Looking up at Eren, he placed a final kiss upon the back of his hand. Grey eyes swirled with violet and silver, and the link was made. Eren was undoubtedly found out.

“And to whom do I owe the pleasure of thanking for creating something so special?” he spoke slowly, his eyes never leaving Eren’s.

“His parents, if they were alive.” Erwin broke the moment, much to Eren’s disappointment _and_ happiness. He couldn’t let Levi claim him. He was too special. Eren didn’t deserve to be in his company, and he couldn’t help but think of the way Levi would drink his blood if he claimed him. That sent shivers down Eren’s spine.

“And what may I call you, Eren?” Levi sounded intrigued, “Stardust? Witch? Daemon? Vampire?” he listed the names, and at the last Eren shivered. Something flashed in Levi’s eyes, and he’d made the connection. He knew that Eren hadn’t been claimed yet. A smirk played on the corner of his lips.

“Shifter.” Eren whispered, all but entranced by Levi. His presence alone was enough to make people swoon, and now Eren understood the danger of being in a vampire’s company: they lured you in. You’d be like a moth to a flame in the company of a vampire.

Levi’s eyes sparkled, and Eren could have sword he saw a tint of red behind the steel.

“I’ve never met a shifter before,” he stated, simply, “and so, everyone I’ve fed from has either been doomed or died.” Eren couldn’t do much but listen to his voice. “I’ve heard that Shifters need to be claimed, Eren; to become fully fledged, they must know how to control all of their elements.” Eren nodded at his words, and Levi smiled. “Have you been claimed yet, Eren?” he whispered so quietly that Eren wouldn’t have heard if not for his powers.

“No.” At that, Levi smirked and ran his fingers over Eren’s wrist.

Looking up into Eren’s eyes, Levi licked his lips and licked Eren’s wrist, then slowly giving it an open mouthed kiss. It was hard for Eren to not pass out on the spot: Levi was just too damned erotic. The way he was kissing his wrist had his stomach doing backflips, and Eren could hardly keep his raging hormones in line.

“Good.” Levi’s teeth dragged on Eren’s wrist, and the boy visibly shivered. “I want to claim you.”

 

Fuck, Eren was done for.


	2. Cafe Booths and Phone Numbers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> holy. shit. guys. I did it. oh my God.  
> Musical inspiration for this chapter: Exo - What is Love

Eren could feel his knees shake as he tried his best to focus on what Levi had just said; what could most possibly be the most terrifying proposal Eren had recieved in all his twenty years was quickly turning into the most appeasing proposal he’d recieved in the same amount of time. Levi wanted him to play for his new album. Levi wanted to claim him. Which of these was the most important? Right in that moment as Eren’s cheeks turned impossibly more crimson, as his hand trembled in the firm grasp of the alluring man infront of him, as his eyes bore into Eren’s own; steel meeting emerald, metal meeting crystal, Eren had no idea.

Levi’s eyes didn’t once leave Eren’s; not as the flustered young man shifted from foot to foot, not as he nervously glanced over at the bar, secretly hoping for Mikasa or Armin or _someone_ to come and save him from this beautiful creature: Levi’s eyes followed Eren’s with every move.

Eren wanted nothing more than to immediately dismiss the idea of playing for him, to completely forget that this whole ordeal had ever happened; but the fact that it was Levi holding his hand in place, holding his gaze, clasping his fingers gently over Eren’s pulse as his blood threatened to be overcome by adrenaline for the second time that day, made his brain stutter. It was the exact same man who wanted to claim him; and, oh, didn’t that phrase hold plenty of possibilities. Eren had fantasised about Levi ever since he’d first heard his voice, at a time where he had no knowlege of the man’s appearance; once he’d seen him, however, Levi’s voice served for more than joy. Eren had cried into this man’s shoulder, on many bad days; Eren had held his hand gently while walking through the town at a time when he should have been paying attention to his Math teacher’s lecture on Pythagoras’ Theorem; he’d also absentmindedly ended up thinking about him while masturbating, once, and ever since that orgasm he’d made it law that he always think of Levi while jerking off.

Eren sighed loudly, closing his eyes to avoid Levi’s piercing steel; he needed to sit down, to have a drink, to have time to think about this. Even with his eyes closed, he could see Levi staring at him, interest clear within his gaze: God damn that Stardust blood that he had running through his veins.

“Can we talk about this?” Eren spoke quietly, barely registering that he’d not yet opened his eyes.

Levi’s grip on Eren’s wrist tightened slightly, opening Eren’s eyes out of curiosity; he was still staring at him, but it wasn’t quite the familiar gaze that told Eren that he was trying to read him: he was simply staring.

“Of course we can,” Levi spoke, eyes shifting to behind Eren where the piano sat, “but, wouldn’t you like to get back to celebrating your birthday?”

“I don’t think I can concentrate on playing, right now; your scent is making me dizzy.” Eren replied quickly, holding the bridge of his nose in mock annoyance. Levi chuckled slightly, to Eren’s delight, and let go of his wrist: much to Eren’s disappointment.

Eren absolutely hated that. The fact that he didn’t want the vampire to remove him from his hold made him feel ever so slightly sickened; the feeling overriding every single thought Eren had had about vampires being monsterous, murderous creatures. And that’s when it struck Eren; wasn’t he equally monsterous? He could bring this vampire to his knees, his sister to lie on the ground, hundreds of people to die within a matter of seconds if he let himself.

Eren pulled his wrist up into his chest, rubbing it gently with his other hand; watching with interest as Levi’s eyes wandered over his neck, arms, chest and stomach before quickly averting them away from wandering lower by returning his gaze to the creature stood before him.

“I have the booth over there reserved for the night,” he stated, simply, “care to sit down?” Levi’s head cocked to the side slightly as he indicated the booth he was talking about, and much to Eren’s happiness it turned out to be his regular booth, the one where he loved to sit and drink hot chocolates laced with more sugar than should be healthy, reading a book while listening to either k-pop or Humanity’s Strongest.

Nodding slightly, Eren watched as Levi turned and walked over to the booth, sliding himself in at one end; following the man, he allowed his eyes to trail over his figure. It was better than any live video could ever capture, seeing Levi walk; or maybe just seeing Levi, in general. His hips swayed slightly, leaving his skinny jeans to cling to his backside with no apology; his legs were muscular, giving his walk power, but also grace – Eren had learnt that that was from Levi’s constant need to make dance routines for every song, and that he liked to see a personal choreographer and trainer at least twice a week: thank you, magazines.

Sliding into the booth smoothly, Eren positioned himself so that he was perched upon one foot while having the other still simply hanging; this had been how Eren had sat at all times while at school, his position in class giving him the chance to hide his tooked leg with ease while his teacher lectured the class on posture and poise. Eren had no issues with either, being a dancer himself, and so settled for comfort over rules. Levi’s body was inclined towards him, giving off a feel of privacy that Eren both feared and longed for.

“So,” Levi started, “what exactly did you want to talk about?”

Eren sighed quietly, and placed his elbow on the table; if he were to talk about this, then he at least had to be comfortable.

“You want me to play for your album.” He stated simply, Levi nodding along. “You think that I’m good enough to be noticed, and so you want me to play for your acoustic album; I know this because I’m obviously a fan of your band, as you noticed from my performance earlier this evening.” He waved simply over at the piano, watching as Levi’s head inclined towards the instrument; a tell-tale smile playing at the corners of his lips. “And so I’m sure that you could understand why I’m ever so slightly star struck, right now.” Eren added, huffing the sentence out quickly and embarrassedly. Levi’s eyes twinkled slightly under his inspection, and he broke out into a slight chuckle; chest rising and falling gently as the sound left his throat and met with Eren’s senses, feeling the sound as it vibrated against his aura.

Levi’s elbows came up to rest upon the table, fingers lacing together as his chin came to rest upon them; watching Eren like a metaphorical hawk as his eyelids drooped slightly, indicating that Eren had definitely tickled a spot within him that lead him to feeling comfortable. “You have a talent.” He breathed out the words as he continued to muse over Eren’s current state. “I suppose you’re wondering why I chose you, of all people.”

Eren couldn’t help the slumping of his shoulders as he replied to Levi’s questioning statement. “Of course I am.” He rubbed his forehead tiredly, trying to process what to say next. So many things just wanted to leave Eren’s mouth in the form of words that he couldn’t possibly choose one, leaving him sat across from his favourite vocalist and least favourite power bearer with a case of verbal constipation.

“I’ve heard you play before,” Levi started, “it was a few years ago, now. I was passing through the town on a business trip, and your father hadn’t shut the windows; I could hear your music playing from across the block, and then I saw all of these posters lying around in the street advertising a free drinks and entertainment night at a small, local cafe. Curiosity lead me here.”

Eren groaned loudly and pushed his palms into his eyes. “That was my sixteenth birthday. I could have killed my friends for that; we ended up having the whole town crammed in here, and had to open up the back seating area because there were so many people.” The memory was clear in his mind; he’d emptily threatened to ban Armin and Marco from the cafe for doing such a thing – giving them both heart attacks in the process – but had then joked about the whole ordeal and stated that it  was good for service. That had been a hectic year, and the piano had suffered a spill of latte that made Eren scream and immediately clean; Jean had used the incident as an excuse to tease him, ever since.

“I could barely get through the door.” Levi chuckled, quietly. “Not that I needed to come in, I could have listened to you playing from my place sat in my car across the block: that piano has some strength in it.” Eren smiled at that, immediately feeling ever so much more comfortable knowing that Levi understood the instrument. He hated it when people who knew nothing about the piano tried to make conversation about it; unless they were asking about it, of course.

“I would have come back, if I hadn’t ended up stuck in Switzerland for three months. That pushed back every single concert we had on.” He sighed, grimacing slightly at the memory; as his eyebrows threatened to meet one another in a frown, Eren couldn’t help but notice how every facial expression that Levi made drew attention to his eyes. When Levi frowned, his eyes turned silver; when he smiled, they turned steel; when he looked at Eren, they grew deep and laced with the undertone of red that he’d never seen in real life; and when he held Eren’s wrist, they became soft and spiked with violet and red within liquid white gold. Eren felt like he could swim in Levi’s gaze for hours, if he would let him.

“You would have come back?” Eren questioned, eyebrow rising slightly with realisation of what the vampire had just said.

“I’ve been planning this album for a long time. The rest of the band also agreed that it’d be a good experience for us and the fans, and so we’ve been searching for a suitable pianist for the past three years.” Levi leaned into his hands, then, and looked Eren directly in the eyes. “Since I heard you playing, I’ve wanted to come back and ask you about the part.”

Eren sat back in his seat, hands falling down into his lap as he smiled absentmindedly at the vampire before him. It would be an amazing opportunity for him; to play for Humanity’s Strongest would be an honour, and he would treat the opportunity like a job that he wanted to keep for as long as possible. He’d be playing the piano for Levi. He’d be playing the piano for Levi while he was singing. He’d be performing live with Levi at concerts. He could get his phone number, for work purposes – obviously – but his number would be in his phone. He’d share meals with him. Eren suddenly couldn’t remember who the other band members were.

“Will I have to play live?” he whispered, gently; hands shaking in his lap.

Levi eyed his eyes slightly, and then cocked his head slightly. “You wouldn’t have to if it made you uncomfortable, obviously; but if you were up for it, I was hoping that we could do a tour specifically for the acoustic album. I think that the fans would love it.”

Eren swallowed loudly, grasping his jeans in his hands; he’d be somewhat famous, as a pianist of all things.

“I recently received permission from SMEntertainment to cover Exo’s ‘What is Love’, and I think that I’d like to add that as a new single.”

Eren’s heart stopped. “Are you shitting me?”

Levi’s eyebrows abruptly raised at Eren’s sudden outburst; he’d hardly even realised that he’d practically jumped out of his seat and half stood on his one available leg until Levi stared at him as if he’d grown a thumb out of his chin. Sitting back down quickly, Eren’s face turned crimson; Levi’s eyes mirrored the action.

“I’m not ‘shitting’ you,” Levi replied with a chuckle, “they offered to let Kai and Sehun come over from Korea to film the video; give them more recognition in Europe, and all that jazz. I had to decline, though; I want to find a partner for that dance.”

Eren’s whole body was itching with excitement. Levi listened to k-pop. Levi wanted to cover Exo. Eren could hardly breathe as he saw the dance teaser video for ‘What is Love’ play in his mind; the figures of Sehun and Kai swiftly transforming into the shorter male sat before him. The idea of Levi dancing to that song sent shivers down his spine, and Eren needed to get his mind out of the gutter as soon as possible before he ended up with a little friend in his lower region.

“You’re looking for a partner?” he questioned, raising his right eyebrow in confusion. “You want to complete the dance with a partner? I’ve never thought of that, before.”

“You’re familiar with Exo?” Levi mused.

“I’m familiar with a lot of k-pop groups, much to my poor little heart’s disappointment.” Eren laughed out loud. “I’ve fallen off of my chair and forgotten to breathe far too many times to deny that I’m addicted to Exo and Bts.”

Levi’s eyes shone with interest at that, and he sat up straight; his whole posture changing with the sudden information he’d received from the Shifter sat across from him. “I suppose you’ve attempted the dances, then?” he mused. “I can’t think of a single k-pop fan who hasn’t attempted the choreography for their dances; the choreography always leaves me stumped as to why they aren’t more popular.”

Eren shifted around in his chair as he listened to Levi talk about his most recent obsession. Of course he’d attempted the choreography; he’d completed and mastered it, for a lot of songs that he’d fallen for. ‘What is Love’ was undoubtedly his favourite, in terms of fluidity; he could let himself go with that dance, just let his body roll and fit itself on the chair, feel his muscles contract as he convulsed in on himself while falling into the next move.

“Have you tried the dances?” Levi leaned into his crossed fingers again, pushing his elbows forward with ease due to the soft material his hooded jumper wad made from.

Blushing, Eren nodded. “I mastered Growl and History within a week.” He admitted, veins throbbing from beneath his skin. Levi’s answering smile made his heart thump loudly, as it was unlike any he’d seen on any video or image of the man; all of his teeth were showing, in their naturally straight beauty, canines slightly elongated and pushing against his lower lip as his eyes closed just slightly so that his eyelashes seemed unbelievably long. A sudden wave of adrenaline approached him, knocking him slightly off guard as his blood started to hum.

Levi’s eyes grew dark; impossibly dark, impossibly deep, impossibly endless. Steel turned to ash, ash turned to coal, and coal turned to crimson. “Maybe we could dance together, some time.” His voice almost growled out of his throat, fingernails tapping the surface of the table; they had elongated, just like his canines, and now formed slight claws as he tapped them gently onto the wooden piece of furniture, setting a rhythm that suited himself.

“Maybe we could.” Eren agreed, quietly. “Or maybe that wouldn’t be such a good idea.”

Eren suddenly found himself leaning closer into the vampire’s general space, elbows resting onto the table while his chin gently balanced onto his laced fingers, just as Levi had done. Said vampire raised a perfect brow at his sudden change in attitude.

“Why would that be your choice of words, Eren?” he questioned, voice slightly teasing.

“You’re a vampire.” Eren simply stated, looking towards the collection of people who were now conversing with one another over various drinks.

“I am, indeed.” Levi nodded, eyes twinkling. “That is why I stated that I want to claim you, Eren.”

Eren shivered at the mentioning of such an act. The idea of being claimed would have once repulsed him, but the idea of being bitten by the man before him did nothing but arouse him. How would he do it? On the neck? That was the traditional place, of course. Or maybe on his wrist, being as Levi seemed to enjoy himself earlier that evening. Or maybe on his thigh? How would that end up happening? Would they be drunk, or sober? Would Levi do it forcefully, giving Eren no chance to back out? The possibilities made Eren’s stomach churn with both unease and arousal.

“I’ve been purposefully avoiding vampires for my entire life,” Eren let the words leave his mouth easily, “and I intend on keeping it that way.” His eyes met Levi’s, and for a second he could have sworn that he saw a predator hiding behind those crimson pools.

“Well, I’m afraid that you’ll find that you’ll be finding that undoubtedly harder, from now on. I don’t intend on letting you go so easily, Eren. If I don’t have you then someone else will, and that could end terribly; I have experience with fledglings – you wouldn’t be the first that I’ve trained into being a suitable vampire.” Levi spoke with authority, and Eren couldn’t help but chuckle at the vampire sat a ruler’s length away from him.

“That isn’t going to make me want to give myself up to you, Levi. The offer is flattering, honestly; to think that you of all people would want to claim me has never even crossed my mind, and I’m honoured that you would be interested in taking me under your wing.” And he meant it; every single word that he’d said was the utter truth. He was absolutely honoured to know that, not only did Levi want to hire him as his pianist for his album, he wanted to claim him and be the one to make him a fully fledged Shifter; but Eren couldn’t do that to himself. He knew that the change was unbelievably painful, and that it could last for days before the claimer deemed the fledgling ready for their first feed; he also knew that becoming claimed gave you and your claimer a type of intimacy that no one else could ever offer: you would be permitted to drink from them until either you or your claimer passed away. Vampires could live longer than humans, but not forever; you just had to be prepared to see a considerable amount more decades than your friends and family.

“It isn’t an offer, Eren. It’s a request.” Levi spoke clearly into the space between them, and Eren sat up straight in his chair for the second time that night.

“What are you talking about?” Eren inclined his head slightly, his eyes closing slightly. Weren’t they the same thing?

“If this were an offer,” Levi sat up, too, “then I’d be offering you something in return; such as money, or intimate services.” Eren blushed at the mentioning of ‘intimate services’. “I could be tempting you with money or sex, but I’m simply requesting that you let me claim you. I don’t intend on letting you go once I’ve claimed you, as that would be wrong of me; so if you’re worried about being left to fend for yourself then you can stop thinking of such things.”

Eren’s posture deflated slightly at the information he was just presented with; Levi didn’t want him to be in his debt, he just wanted him to be safe. Frowning slightly, Eren considered the possibilities. “You wouldn’t hold me for ransom or anything like that?”

“No.”

“You wouldn’t ditch me once I’m changing?”

“Of course not.”

“And, you most definitely aren’t going to use me for sex, or offer me to any of your friends as a sex slave?”

“I wouldn’t dream of it, Eren.”

“And why is that?” the words were out of his moth before he could even comprehend what he was saying. Eren’s subconscious always knew what to say a lot better than he did, himself; and it obviously knew what was important to know for him to be and feel safe. Levi sat shocked for a second, possibly wondering where the sudden brave manner had come from. “You offered to dance with me; I’m aware that dancing for vampires is a lot more intimate than it is for humans, as it strengthens bonds and secures a relationship. Why offer something to a quarter-breed that doesn’t even understand what they want?”

Levi smiled slightly, and that only served to confuse Eren all the more.

“You’re a strange one, Eren: I’ll give you that.” He breathed out. Sitting upright, arms crossed against his chest, Levi looked like he’d just won a game of mouse trap against a spoilt child. “You’re special, Eren, that’s why. You’re a Shifter – I’m sure you’ve seen your type spelled out in scriptures before. Your title is the only one that truly deserves a capital, as that is your name; whereas for me it is my breed. You are everything that is here, and everything that hasn’t yet happened, and you’re sat right in front of my very eyes.”

Eren could feel his blood fight against itself to rush either north or south at the compliments he was receiving from the raven haired man; his eyes still shone red as he watched Eren shuffle slightly in his seat, head cocked slightly to the right, pale neck showing and looking more attractive than any neck Eren had ever seen: and he meant that in the least vampirish way possible. Necks could look attractive.

“You don’t have to give me an answer to that, just yet.” He added, quickly. “Just tell me if you’ll play for me.”

“I’ll play for you.” Eren spoke, surely. “But on the condition that you don’t use any of that vampire charm on me, it really hurts my chest.”

Levi laughed at that, to Eren’s surprise; only then to realise that he was sulking in his seat. “I won’t use any of my ‘vampire charm’ on you, and that’s a given; if your chest is hurting then it isn’t working, anyway.” Snickering, Levi held out his hand over the table. “If that’s the least of your concerns, then I would like to offer that dance again; it isn’t intimate unless you’re both vampires, so you have nothing to worry about.”

Eren pursed his lips, thinking. “I’ll only agree to dance if you swear that you won’t pull any bullshit on me; if you say that you won’t claim me unless I ask you to, then you mean that with everything you have.”

“You have my word, young Shifter.” Levi inclined his head towards his hand, indicating for Eren to take it. Still slightly unsure, Eren slowly lifted his hand to meet Levi’s; gently grasping it in a way that made Levi grasp back with just a little more force, shaking slowly. However, as Eren was going to pull away, Levi pulled his wrist up towards his lips for the second time that night; tongue lapping at the pulse point, gently, a slight groan escaping his mouth as he lavished the area with slow, hard licks using the flat of his tongue. Eren shivered, wrist and all, and attempted to pull away; Levi wasn’t having that, at all. As soon as Eren tried to pull away, Levi’s grasp on his hand pulled it closer to his mouth; lips enclosing the skin and sucking harshly, drawing blood to the surface. A small gasp left Eren’s lips, and Levi gently grazed the area with his teeth, making Eren groan gently; licking it again and again, before releasing his wrist with a sudden jerk of his hand.

They did nothing but stare at one another for a good few moments; Eren’s face flushed and wrist now littered with love bites, Levi’s eyes hard as rock but crimson as the blood that he’d almost tasted.

“I can’t deny that I wish to taste you, Eren; and I can’t wait until you feel like you’re ready to be changed, because then I will be able to do these things to you without you having to suffer such inner turmoil.” Levi stood, rising gracefully from his seat in the booth; he produced a pen from his pocket, and grabbed for Eren’s other hand, writing on it. Dropping it back to Eren’s side, Eren couldn’t help but glance at the number; blushing furiously – oh, he had Levi Ackerman’s personal phone number.

“Give me a text or a call, we can make a date to meet at my studio whenever is good for you. I look forward to seeing you again, Eren.” And with that, he leisurely strolled away from the dumbfounded Shifter.

“You want to do those things to me?” Eren whispered into the air, knowing that he’d hear him.

“I also want you for your heart, Eren; and I’ll do whatever I can to get it.” He replied, still walking away.

Levi wanted to claim Eren – he knew that already. He, for whatever reason, seemed intent on dancing with him – he knew that, now. Levi also wanted his heart. Not just his blood, not just his body: his heart. He wanted to claim Eren in ways that left him breathless and flustered just thinking about – and he wasn’t afraid to let him know about it, either.

Eren chuckled; “Asshat.”

And he heard a reply, “I heard that,” come from the doorway, “shitty brat.”


	3. Ashes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not much Levi. Lots of badass shifting, though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Message me if you have any queries, or just want someone to talk to; I'm always open to talk about absolutely anything, so if you need a friend just message me.  
> Baby x

After Levi had left, Eren had spent the next few  hours playing song after song; by the time the clock had reached 4:00am, he couldn’t remember what time he’d started, or what song’s he’d played - it was all spontaneous, once Levi had gone. He’d cleaned up for the night, placing the lid back on the keys with care, and watched as people filed out of the cafe without a hint of hesitation; some thanked him for the night, some wished him a happy birthday, some didn’t say anything as they were pulled along with the strong current. Turning away from the piano to the counter, only Mikasa and Armin were left in the cafe; both were silently watching the crowd disappear, while drinking out of their consecutive mugs – the one’s that they had literally claimed after having their first drink in the cafe a few years ago, names written on the base of them in permanent marker.

“Feel like making me a cuppa?” Eren asked, strolling in their direction.

“Only if you tell me what was going on between you and that stinking vampire, a few hours ago.” Mikasa replied, head turning to easily face Eren; her face was stern, but hints of concern were evident beneath the stony facade that was her trademark. Sighing, Eren sat onto the stool next to Armin; said friend turned to face him, eyebrows drawn together beneath his fringe.

 _Who was he?_ The words appeared around Armin like a faded animation, tinted slightly blue; the blue came from his eyes, Eren had learned – all powers a witch possessed linked directly to their eyes, making their eyes their most prized possession.

 _Levi Ackerman, Armin._ Eren responded – his own words tinted green in the air around them. Armin’s eyes widened significantly.

_Humanity’s Strongest, Levi Ackerman? Levi Ackerman that’s looking for a pianist, Levi Ackerman?_

_Yes, Armin, **that** Levi Ackerman._ Eren deflated at the look of concern on his best friends face.

_What did he want?_

_He wants me to be his pianist._ Eren turned his body away from him, only facing him with his head inclined. _And he wants to help me control my vampire powers._

Armin visibly shifted in his seat; eye’s turning bright, hair growing longer, skin becoming grey and dappled – much like a gargoyle, Eren remembered – and alerted Mikasa’s attention. She, too, shifted at the sudden surge of power; skin becoming much similar to coal, fingers becoming talons, hair changing to short and spiked wisps of red and orange, grey eyes turning amber.

“Shitting balls, Armin; keep yourself under control.” She growled, voice gravelly and travelling from deep within her chest. Armin was suddenly stood beside her, hands on her shoulders.

“Our Eren is finally growing up, Mikasa.” He spoke, voice almost seeping out of his mouth compared to his sister’s.

Strong hands suddenly grasped Eren’s forearms, shaking him back and forth; Armin was certainly excited about the situation he was in, while Mikasa had brought herself to stand from her seat on the stool with a look of confusion bringing one autumn eyebrow to rise.

“Care to explain, Eren?” she asked, coming to gather around him along with the overly excited witch that refused to release him from his grasp.

Eren took a deep breath.

“Levi Ackerman came in today to ask if I would be the pianist for his new album and if I would let him claim me.”

Two seconds passed, and Armin grasped him tighter, pulling him into a tight hug that would probably kill anyone without powers: Mikasa remained still. Three seconds passed, and Mikasa blinked slowly. Four seconds, and she was pursing her lips together tightly, staring at Eren much like an unconvinced mother would her teenage daughter with her first boyfriend. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Here comes the onslaught, Eren thought. Ten.

“Are you sure he isn’t just playing around with you?” she asked, once again raising an eyebrow.

“Yes.”

“What makes you so sure?”

Eren struggled to wiggle his arm out of the death grip Armin had on him, and produced his wrist to his sisters gaze much like he would his latest wound; if nothing else, it got her attention. Talons enclosed around his wrist, and pulled him out of Armin’s grasp within a few milliseconds, sitting him on the counter so that she could get a better look t the flowering of bruises left around his wrist.

“Shit, Eren.” She exclaimed, holding his arm out straight while brushing her talons along the array of blues, purples, yellows and greens. Armin appeared beside her once again, and almost looked taken aback by the obvious possessiveness that Levi had displayed within his brief encounter with Eren.

“This is a pre-claiming mark, Mikasa.” Armin stated, removing Eren’s wrist from her grasp and putting it within his own; turning Eren’s wrist this way and that, holding it up closer to the light, bringing it into the shadow casting below his form. “The bruises are a symbol of possessiveness,” he stated bluntly, “and it seems like Levi had quite a lot of fun.” he concluded with a smile on his face.

Leaning down, Armin breathed onto the bruises, watching for any changes; said bruises faded away, and Eren’s wrist became transparent, making Mikasa jump back in surprise, but Armin was too intent on looking for something to be affected by the disturbing display Eren’s body was giving off.

“The bruises have managed to spread straight into the wrist.” He blurted out, excitedly. “He’s obviously a very old vampire, or else the bruises would have only stayed upon the surface; the areas that are transparent are where the bruises have managed to spread to. I’ve never seen something so powerful for just a pre-claiming mark – usually such spreading will only occur when the claiming is initiated; he’s either set on turning you, or you’ve allowed him to get this deep under your skin. Tell me, Eren, what were his eyes like?” Armin gazed at his best friend with an excitement that Eren could feel radiating off of him, and couldn’t help but feel slightly dumbfounded by the knowledge Armin had about vampires and the claiming process.

“His eyes?” Eren asked, confusion evident in his voice: he suddenly felt very small.

“Yes, Eren, show me what his eyes were like.” Armin pressed on, placing his hands on either side of Eren’s head, holding him directly in front of him; he’d done this once before, when he’d wanted to know what his own eyes looked like to Eren.

Eren closed his eyes and thought of Levi; all of the different shades of metal, all of the lavender undertones, and the crimson sparks that seemed to flow through the other colours as if his eyes were made of an unnamed liquid substance... And reopened his eyes.

Armin’s expression was at first unreadable; obviously trying to picture what the eyes Eren currently possessed would look like upon the other man, trying to read the emotions present, the colours and shades that almost seemed unidentifiable for the mixture present in Levi’s eyes, the different identities that they belonged to – and then his expression changed immediately into that of determination: a smirk played on his lips.

“He doesn’t just want to claim your blood does he, Eren?” he asked, quietly. Eren’s body became hot, and his face flushed with blood to a degree that the balance of blood and adrenaline threw off his concentration and left him disoriented and dizzy as he sat completely rigid in spot. Mikasa was visibly, audibly and sensually tense; her demeanour almost bouncing off of every surface in the room and attacking Eren’s senses in an overload of annoyance and possessiveness.

“What did he tell you, Eren?” Armin whispered quietly, holding onto Eren’s shoulders to help ground himself.

Eren’s mouth was dry, and his body felt unimaginably hot and light as he tried to recall all that had been said during Levi’s visit.

_“I want to claim you.”_

_“Curiosity led me here.”_

_“Maybe we could dance together, some time.”_

_“I can’t deny that I wish to taste you.”_

_“I also want you for your heart, Eren; and I’ll do whatever I can to get it.”_

Face aflame, Eren recalled the words out to Armin; text wavering in the air as he recalled them so well that he was sure that Armin could hear the tone of voice that Levi had used when saying them, lips parting and lifting in ways that had almost given Eren a heart attack.

Mikasa erupted into a sudden fury of flames and ash, eyes glowing brightly as she reached forward and grabbed onto Armin’s long hair, pulling it up until she were holding him half a foot off of the ground, smoke coming out of her nostrils with each breath she took. “What the fuck is going on between that asshole and my brother, Armin?” She rumbled, voice almost too grainy to understand, but the tone gave it all away. She was pissed.

Pulling strongly on the talons holding him in place, Armin struggled to keep his balance while suspended in mid air by his friend. “Mikasa put me down.” He ordered, arms folding across his chest as he slowly began to regain his balance; if he weren’t a witch that would be all too difficult, considering the length of his hair when shifted.

Amber eyes continued to stare through sky blue ones, not moving an inch, even as Armin continued to ask her to release him; he even resorted to stating that she’d singe his hair if she didn’t calm down, but nothing changed the mood that she was in.

Eren got up down off of the counter, walking towards his sister with a rather annoyed look upon his face. “Mikasa.”

The daemon turned her head to face him, still suspending the witch in mid air as her brother approached her with a calmness that apparently did nothing more than aggravate her further, her skin starting to shed ash as he approached. Eren stopped walking right in front of her, arms crossed and head held high as he stood stationary, testing the waters; Mikasa was highly sensitive for whatever reason, and if he wasn’t careful then he could have a pissed off witch on his hands, too.

“Put him down.” He requested simply, watching as different emotions passed by behind his sisters eyes; annoyance, anger, defiance. When his sister continued to do nothing but stare at him, Eren took the matter into his own hands.

His hand suddenly had a tight grip around her neck, fingers pressing in around the glands under her jaw to find the weak spot that all daemons have; Mikasa released Armin, thrashing instead at her brother as his finger continued to calmly search for her weakness, pressing harder into her throat as she became more violent. Her talons ripped at his skin, tearing into his body like Jack the Ripper as she struggled against him, and then suddenly became limp: Eren had found her release point. His thumb gently pressed against her weakest spot, and watched as Mikasa’s skin slowly faded back to its human colour, eyes turning grey and hair lengthening while the black colour almost seeped back into her.

A loud bang was heard from behind them, and as Eren turned round he saw Erwin stood in place, holding a baseball bat aggressively in both hands; his face was screwed up into what seemed like fear and anger, but it quickly switched to that of annoyance and furiousness as he took in the sight behind him. He quickly stood up straighter, and held the bat limply in his right hand, the other coming up to squeeze the bridge of his nose.

“I thought there was a burglar.” He stated, holding up the bat to prove his point; then pointed at the three of them. “Though, it turns out that it’s just my children and their friend having a bit of a toss.” Armin stood silently, and Eren released his hold on his sisters’ neck, dropping her into her own pile of ash; to which she sighed loudly, and stood covered in her own mess. Erwin took one look at her, and frowned deeply. “Mikasa, go upstairs.”

She moved quickly, walking with precision as she made her way to the employees  only area, which attached onto the stairs that led to their house; Erwin watched her all the way there, and sighed deeply when she finally got out of sight and earshot.

“Does someone want to tell me what’s been going on in my cafe in the past half an hour?”

“Mikasa wanted to know what Levi wanted to talk to me about.” Eren announced, voice monotone. “I showed her and Armin the bruises on my wrist, and she flipped her shit.”

“Mikasa just kind of flipped at Eren when she realised that someone other than her wants to protect him. She was fine until Eren told me about Levi wanting to claim him.” Armin joined in, using his hands to express his words. “She grabbed my hair, and lost her temper; Eren had to turn her off, she was that out of her senses.”

Erwin crossed his arms, piecing the scene before him and their words together. “And that’s why Eren looks like he’d about to fall to pieces?” He raised an eyebrow.

Both of them looked at Eren then, and seemed shocked to see pieces of his skin peeling off of him like sunburn; his muscles were ripped open, shirt torn across his stomach, and his intestines visible through the chunks of skin his sister had taken out of him. Armin heaved slightly at the sight of his friends innards, placing his hand over his mouth to stop himself from throwing up; he’d never been around to see these sorts of things happen, before. Eren himself seemed surprised at the damage his sister had managed to inflict, being as he couldn’t feel anything but a slight draft. He sighed. “Yes, Erwin.”

“And that’s why you looked like you were strangling her?” He questioned further.

They both nodded, keeping their faces calm. Erwin seemed to consider things, and then nodded in agreement.  “Well then, I’d suggest that you make your way home, Arlert.” He suggested, pointing towards the door. Armin bowed slightly, bidding them both farewell, and left the cafe without another word.

Eren watched after his best friend as he left the area in an instant, probably teleporting himself home to his grandfather’s house.

“Levi called.” Erwin stated, drawing Eren’s attention back to him. “He wants to pick you up tomorrow morning for an interview with the band.” He rubbed his forehead in frustration. “He said to tell you to wear something nice but casual. Don’t mess it up.” Turning, he headed for the door; stopping quickly to turn around and look him up and down.

“Eren.”

“Yeah?” He replied, voice wavering at the look of determination on his fathers face.

“If Levi sees you messed up like that, you’d better make sure he doesn’t find out who did it.”

And with that he left Eren standing alone in front of the cafe counter.

He turned to the clock: tomorrow morning was in a few hours.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, hello, I know: it's been months. I'm so sorry. I know that this update isn't much, but I'm really struggling to find where I want this to go; I had about twelve drafts for this chapter, but then decided to write the whole thing completely unlike all of the drafts I had saved. School is a bitch for me at the minute, I finish in a few months and fuck it's stressful.  
> I hope you enjoy this chapter, and if you have any criticism please feel free to leave it in the comments section; I take on board any creative criticism that's given to me, because I want this fic to be as enjoyable as possible for you guys. Maybe I'll start getting fanart soon? I don't know, maybe I'm thinking too far ahead.  
> Thank you all for being so patient.  
> I love all of you,  
> Baby x


	4. Mr Universe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren sorts himself out after Mikasa's... tantrum.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, it has been three years. Yes, I am an arse for leaving you all waiting. I am SO sorry for being THAT author. I am continuing this fanfic, there WILL be regular updates (once every two months or so, or more often than that, depending entirely on how creative I'm feeling), I WILL COMPLETE THIS FIC.  
> (There's a lot of dialogue and stuff in this one)  
> Baby x

Eren didn’t sleep; sleep wasn’t important to him anyway – being a Shifter and all – but it was nice to have. Sleep was calm. Sleep meant dreams, and most importantly it meant doing absolutely nothing for approximately seven hours. It pleased the procrastinator within. So instead of sleeping, Eren decided to sit on his bed and tend to his ‘wounds’.

It took two hours for Eren’s body to fix itself, which was quite quick considering the amount of damage Mikasa had done to his internals; at some point she’d managed to tear one of his kidneys out of place, it was still attached though, so it wasn’t so bad – Eren did have to hold it in place for a grand total of half an hour for the structures around it to be strong enough for him to be confident that it would be in the right place, though.

At some point Eren realised just how much damage had been done to him in the past twelve hours or so; a stab wound, numerous punches (if you could even call the punches), did the pre-claiming mark really count as damage? Eren wasn’t entirely sure. And then there was Mikasa’s hissy fit. That’s a lot of violence and aggression for one day.

Now, as has been said, sleep isn’t important to Eren, but that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t get grouchy without a cup of coffee in the morning. At seven a.m. Eren made his way from his bedroom downstairs to the café where Erwin was busy taking chairs down, and some of the staff were entering via the back door to start the morning shift. As soon as Eren opened the door that separated the house above from the café, he could smell everything; bacon, friend eggs, hash browns, mushrooms, onions, beans… and most importantly, coffee.

“Morning,” Erwin spoke loudly, standing upright and turning to acknowledge his son “your coffee has already been made, it’s in the usual spot.” With a smile, he tilted his head towards the kitchen.

Eren made a sound of approval – something between a high pitched _woooo_ and a squeal – and made his way over to the kitchen, past the oven where beans were simmering away, bacon and eggs frying gently, as well as mushroom and onion in a separate frying pan. Eren opened the cupboard where his coffee was kept once brewed, and removed the hot beverage gently; a few weeks ago, he’d not realise dhow full the cup was and spilt piping hot coffee all over his chest. It didn’t hurt, but it startled him enough for him to shout loud enough to awaken the daemon from her slumber, and she jumped down the stairs to assess the situation, scaring the shit out of one of the café staff.

“Almond milk, right?” Eren shouted through to Erwin, checking that his father hadn’t forgotten about his recent dietary change. Almond milk was just so much nicer than regular milk.

“Of course, stupid.”

“One coffee, two sugars?” Eren asked, taking a sip.

“One level spoon of coffee, and two heaped, _very_ generous spoons of sugar.” Erwin replied, walking through the kitchen doorway, picking up the keys to the front door. “You should probably cut down on the sugar you know,” Erwin suggested, “it’s not good for you.”

“No, captain eyebrows,” Eren replied, following Erwin out of the kitchen back out into the café, “it’s not good for _you_.”

Erwin laughed slowly and sarcastically, turning around to look at Eren and wiggle his eyebrows as he put the key in the lock. Eren leaned against a table as he sipped his coffee, appreciating the combination of the almond milk and the Nescafe, tasting every granule of sugar. Erwin opened the door. Lavender. He was here already. And Eren was wearing his Adventure Time pyjama bottoms. And his Steven Universe t-shirt.

“Morning, Erwin.” Levi spoke, walking into the café amidst the usual’s; Jessica and David, Percy, Matthew, Aaron, Iris, and even Monty today. Levi continued walking towards Eren, who was propped against a table with his coffee cup in one hand and his other hanging limp at his side.

“Morning Levi.” Eren managed to speak through his shock, and embarrassment. Levi was eyeing up Eren’s pyjama bottoms. He could feel it.

“Good morning, Eren.” He replied, pulling out a chair at the table Eren was leaning on, and sitting down gracefully. “Or should I call you Mr Universe?” He smirked.

Eren’s eyes rolled into the back of his head. He looked like a Cartoon Network model.

“In my defence,” Eren started, taking a large sip from his coffee, “you didn’t state what time you’d be here. You just said ‘ _in the morning’_.” Eren made quotation marks with his fingers and imitated Levi’s voice sarcastically. “I’m keeping this shirt on today, by the way.” He took a final mouthful of his coffee, and started walking towards the kitchen.

“You can wear the shirt,” Levi sighed, “but I do _not_ sound like that.” He stated with sarcasm. Eren shrugged and made a non-committal sound,

“Whatever. I need to get changed, so, I’ll be right back.” Eren made to exit the café and go upstairs, but a dull pain in his chest made him turn around.

“We don’t need to be at the studio until nine, so why don’t you sit down for a while?” Levi stated, staring straight into Eren’s eyes, almost making him feel like a deer in headlights.

Eren sighed. “Your charm doesn’t work on me, remember?” He walked over to the table and sat opposite Levi, coughing lightly. The scent of lavender was overpowering, extremely concentrated. “All it does is make my chest hurt. And could you control yourself a little, please?” His nose scrunched up, indicating that Levi’s powers were a little too open.

“Sorry,” Levi looked at Eren apologetically, “I don’t even realise I’m doing it.” He put his hands down flat on the table top, breathing in deeply. Even though he wasn’t technically living, and didn’t need oxygen; there was a time where he was and did, and so Levi liked to use breathing to control himself.

“I wanted to speak with you about the band before we even set off, because then at least you’ll know what to expect.” Levi stated, looking at Eren, “You already know who they are, I just wanted to let you know that there are a few… scenarios that may surprise you.”

“You mean that Annie is human and Bertolt is a vampire? I know that already.” Eren replied, confusion evident in his voice.

“I’m more on about that Hange is the one who turned me, so they may be more than a little apprehensive about you.” Levi spoke with a serious tone, “They see themselves as some sort of parent or guardian over me, sometimes they even refer to themselves as my ‘mother’, even though strictly speaking, they aren’t female.” His fingers interlaced and he placed his chin on his hands.

“So, Hange doesn’t conform to a gender?”

Levi shook his head. “Hange doesn’t have any genitals.”

Eren raised his eyebrows, “Can I ask why or even how?”

“Let’s just say that they weren’t born that way and it certainly wasn’t their choice.” Levi sounded slightly upset, looking off to the left slightly, but quickly shook it off and returned to his comfortable demeanour. “You can ask them all about it when we get there.”

Eren nodded, his lips twitching slightly at the idea of Hange; they were a strange one already, and now there was even more mystery to them.

“There’s also the possibility that they may be… enthralled by your presence.” Levi stated, cringing slightly.

“And that means…?”

Levi sighed. “That means, Hange was a scientist back before the band. They still are a scientist, but it’s not their ‘full-time job’ anymore.” Levi rubbed his temples gently, and pinched the top of his nose. “They may be a little unaware of ‘personal space’, you are the most amazing creation on this planet after all.”

Eren scoffed. “Hardly.”

“To Hange you are a work of art, like a rare artefact found in pristine condition.”

“Well,” Eren sighed, “thanks for the warning, but I think I’ll be okay.”

“I have no doubt that you’ll be okay, I’m more worried about them than you. They may self-combust.” Levi laughed gently, looking off affectionately.

There was no doubt that he had extreme respect for Hange, but also that even though they’ve spent so much time together he has no idea how they’re going to react to certain things half the time. Eren imagined that they’re like that old pair of siblings that constantly bicker and wind each other up, which made him smile.

“As long as they ask before taking samples or blood or anything, I don’t mind. I understand that it must be exciting for them.”

Levi smiled. “Okay then,” he pulled out his phone from his pocket and checked the time, “you should go get changed, we need to leave soon.”

Eren stood up and tucked the chair back under the table, “I won’t be too long.”

“Take as long as you’d like,” Levi laughed, “so long as you don’t come back down here in the exact same clothes as now but with pokemon slippers.”

Scoffing loudly, Eren walked towards the stairs. “Don’t tempt me.”

 


	5. Rewind pt. 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little bit of violence, depression and anxiety mentions; nothing too serious so shouldn't be too triggering, but you've been warned. Marco gets kidnapped by a drunk vampire.

“What’s that jerk’s problem, anyway?” Conny shouted, flailing his arms about in exasperation.

Armin told Conny to shut up, politely. “Would you **_please_** stop shouting? We’re in the canteen for Christ’s sake.” The blonde’s eyes swept around the room, searching for said jerk. Eren felt the anxiety radiating off of him.

 _He won’t be here, Armin._ Eren spoke to Armin, words appearing in front of his face. Ever since they’d found out they could do this, Eren used it at every given opportunity. It was privacy at its finest.

Armin sighed, _how can you be sure?_

 _When is Jean ever in the canteen when he’s supposed to be?_ Eren explained, _he’s probably off emotionally ruining some poor girl._ Eren’s words quivered slightly, showing his discomfort. Everyone knew Jean’s reputation; he was the general fuck boy – new victim every two days, the previous would never speak up about him because his little gang would pulverise them, yet people still fawned over him.

“What **is** his problem though?” Conny pressed, quieter this time as they entered the seating area.

Weaving through the crowd, they made their way over to their usual spot, right in front of the stage. Their school’s canteen and hall were joined, and so during lunch times the chairs and tables were laid out for the students to eat inside; it was a nightmare having a thousand or so kids in one small space, but they weren’t allowed to eat outside due to some shit lords two years above _constantly_ leaving their left-over food outside and… well… Seagulls happened. And where there were seagulls… there was a lot of bird shit. 

Eren sighed. “Jean is just an ass, plain and simple.” Sitting down, Eren’s eyes swept around the room, giving it a once over and noticing familiar faces; Ymir and Christa, Annie, Mina, and Marco - making his way through the crowd quickly, towards the table. He waved. Armin waved back. “He was alright before we came up to high school but as soon as we got here he just… let the attention inflate his ego.”

“Yeah,” Armin and Sasha both agreed, though Sasha was barely understandable considering she was shovelling a sandwich into her mouth. “We were actually quite close to him at one point, but then he realised that he had ‘popular-material’ grade looks and opinions.” Armin continued, “He just cut off all ties with us after a month of being here, and he hasn’t spoken to us since.”

_And now it’s been four years and he still won’t speak to us._

Sasha tried to make some input in the conversation but couldn’t due to the food in her mouth, so she just gave up and shot them all a look that said ‘I’ll tell you later’. Marco sat down at the table.

“What’d I miss?” Marco questioned.

Everyone was silent, save for Sasha who was shovelling food into her mouth.

Jean was a sensitive topic around Marco. The two had been close since they were very young, and the sudden ignorance that Marco had gotten from Jean over the past few years had emotionally crushed him, and everyone hated to see him so upset. Eren couldn’t physically recall every single time that he and his friends had had to ‘heal’ Marco; it meant that Marco had delved into deep depression and anxiety, about once every two days in the first year, and subsequently he’d missed out on a lot of education because of it. The number of sleepovers they’d all had at each other’s houses, though usually at Marco’s, was well up into the thousands; at one point Eren and Sasha had practically lived at Marco’s house for a month to help look after him and encourage him to look after himself – at another point Eren and Armin had had to physically get into the shower with Marco to help him wash and make sure that he didn’t pass out from exhaustion. Since those times, they’d all become very close knit, and they all loved each other like family. It was sad but beautiful.

 _What do we say?_ Armin questioned.

 _Do we just tell him that we were talking about Jean?_ Eren questioned. _He’s been stable recently, I think he could manage…_

“Just talking about how much of an ass Jean has become.” Conny blurted out.

Eren and Armin’s eyes opened in shock, and Sasha chocked on her… angel cake? Conny sprang into action as Sasha coughed up her meal, patting her firmly on the back and checking that she wasn’t actually chocking.

Marco was unmoving and unresponsive for a few seconds, turning silent as Sasha hacked up the piece of food she’d had lodged in her throat – it was a cocktail sausage. The sausage landed in front of Marco, slightly chewed up but in true Sasha style she’d tried to swallow it whole. Marco laughed. “Yeah,” he sighed, “he’s become a real dick.”

Conny laughed loudly, as did Sasha. Armin and Eren were both on edge. Was Marco just trying to not freak out? Or was he actually getting over Jean? They all knew that the feelings Marco had for Jean were messy; at one point he’d actually loved him, and to everyone’s knowledge he still kind of did – but it seemed that he was realising just how nasty Jean actually was. This was good for him.

Marco and Conny engaged in casual conversation, about Jean, lessons, exams, and so on. Armin and Eren didn’t really engage in conversation with the others.

 _I’m proud of him._ Armin stated, _this is good for him, I think he might be able to accept that he’s not a good person soon._

Eren nodded. _Maybe, but he doesn’t seem completely aware of what’s actually being said._

Armin cocked his head slightly, and Eren hinted to listen to the conversation.

“Did you hear about what happened between him and that girl in year eleven? Apparently, she actually tried to beat him up after she found out.” Conny exclaimed.

“Yeah, I know! She actually got a few punches in, apparently!” Marco replied, enthusiastically; but the enthusiasm wasn’t behind his eyes.

Sasha mumbled, “yeah, she gave him a black eye. Good on her.” Through a mouthful of food.

“Yeah, he deserved it.” Marco replied, understanding. He wasn’t completely there behind the eyes.

“And did you hear ‘bout what,”

“Anyone here been listening to EXO’s new song?” Armin intervened.

Sasha piped up, “Growl?! Seriously, I can’t get it out of my head.”

“Same!” Marco joined in, honestly. “I can’t wait for the album to come out!”

Eren commented, “honestly, I’ve been listening to girl groups, especially F(x), more recently. Rum Pum Pum was really good, like, I can’t express how it makes me feel. Krystal and Amber looked SO GOOD in the music video!”

“YES! Finally. **Someone** gets it. F(x) are the dark horse of SM Entertainment. I’m telling you.” Sasha shouted, banging on the table enthusiastically.

Conny smirked, “yeah, right. Girls’ Generation will _always_ be _the best_ girl group to come out of SM.”

“Urm, actually, I think you’ll find that they’re getting outdated _super_ quickly.” Eren replied, “Did you _hear_ I Got A Boy? It was like seven different songs put together, and I wasn’t even done well!”

Conny looked shocked, and turned his head away from the table.

“I. cannot. Believe. You just. **INSULTED**. My queens.”

Marco laughed, loudly. “I’m not going to lie, Conny, this comeback was super shit.”

Conny’s hand touched his chest where his heart would be, whispering “how dare you?” and pretending to sob.

“Sunny looked cute as fuck though.” Sasha interjected.

“Like _hell_ she did!” Conny shouted, smiling and waving his arms around. “I preferred the blue hair personally but she was absolutely _stunning_ this comeback.”

The bell for the end of lunch went off, and everyone stood up, packing away their lunch boxes.

“I wish they’d let her sing to her full potential, though.” Armin joined in, putting his lunch into his backpack.

“Yeah,” Sasha replied, “I think she could be a real dark horse in this group! They should give her a solo and let her go off!”

Conny snickered arrogantly, “Yeah. Sure. Like SM would give anyone other than Tiffany or Taeyeon a solo.”

They all started walking towards their next lessons, splitting up so that Armin, Eren and Sasha went left, and Marco and Conny went right. Conny still hadn’t shut up about Girl’s Generation. Marco mouthed “help me.” As they went their separate ways. The three of them laughed unabashedly on their way to English literature. If anyone could cheer Marco up right now, it was Conny.

\---

Two and a half hours later, the final bell went and Eren’s class were still finishing up their very unexpected mock literature exam. They hadn’t been told about it prior to walking into the room, and the look on their teachers face as she dropped the papers on their tables one by one was that of pure evil. They had as long as it took for them to finish the paper, and Armin and Sasha had finished five minutes ago, and were waiting outside the class; it was only Eren and a few others left over – including Jean. There was no shame in their class though, as they all had a lot of respect for each other – inside the room, anyway.

Eren finished writing up his paragraph and gave it the once over. He gave the paper to his teacher, then went back to his seat to pack away his notes and pencil case.

 _Hurry up, Eren, Jean could be finishing up soon and I do **not** want him to follow us out of the building._ Armin’s blue words appeared in front of Eren. He turned his head and glances at the door, to fins Armin, Sasha, Conny and Marco looking at him and waving, pointing at their wrists.

 _Yeah, yeah, I’m coming._ Eren replied, making sure to add the sass. _Not like the two of us couldn’t handle him_.

Armin frowned. _Not at school, Eren._

 _Well, what are we doing right now then?_ Eren quipped back.

Armin’s frown deepened, and his presence shut off from outside the door. Eren smirked.

\---

Sasha and Conny departed first, as their homes were the closest, and so it was just Armin, Eren and Marco. Marco’s house was just a few streets between Conny’s and the café, so he would be the next to leave. Eren could tell that he wasn’t feeling his best.

“You don’t have to come with us later, you know?” Armin spoke quietly, placing a hand on Marco’s shoulder. “It’s just pizza, we can send yours to your house if you’re not feeling up to it.” He smiled, and Marco sighed loudly.

“I want to come out, it’s just… effort, you know?” Marco replied, and Eren and Armin nodded in acknowledgement. Marco smiled sadly. “I want to _want_ to have the effort to come out,” Marco continued, “but it’s just…”

Something bad was coming next.

“Jean will be there tonight.”

Eren tensed. “How do you know?”

Marco sighed, “I heard Bertholdt and Reiner talking about how they’re going to the Pizza Place… It was during Photography, they were talking about how Jean is meeting some guy there. No idea who, though…”

 _Oh._ Eren and Armin both thought. _So he’s meeting someone for… unknown reasons?_

 _Why would he be meeting someone at **our** pizza spot?_ Armin questioned.

They both looked at each other in wonder.

“Did they say whether it was someone from school or?” Armin pressed lightly, trying to get as much information as possible.

“They said it was an older guy, with a weird name like… Ooroo? Or something?”

Eren stopped in his tracks, and Armin grabbed onto Marco strongly. “Oruo?” Eren questioned quietly.

“Yeah, that’s it.” Marco turned around to look at Eren. “Why? Who is this guy?”

Eren was silent. He could feel the adrenaline running through his veins.

Oruo had broken into the café one night a few years ago. He was dangerous. Very dangerous. He was the most uptight vampire Eren had ever smelled. And an uptight vampire is a _dangerous_ vampire; the bigger their ego, the worse they smell, mostly because they feel as though they don’t have to control themselves because they’re ‘superior’ – when in reality they’re just super ignorant and ridiculously uptight. Smelly vampires are the worst because they smell like lavender, but it’s like you’re buried in it, as though you can’t move in it – lavender is used for relaxation, and it’s one of the ways that vampires capture their prey – they just lead them into a false sense of security.

_What do we do, Eren?_

Silence.

_Is it worth the risk?_

That bastard…

_Eren?_

Eren wasn’t going to let him get away this time.

_EREN?_

“We don’t have to worry about that guy.” Eren spoke, starting to walk slowly, sighing, “Oruo broke into the café a few years ago and tried to set it on fire. Erwin got a restraining order against him, so he has to be at least a mile away from our café at all times, he shouldn’t actually be at the Pizza Place.” Eren continued, “we have nothing to worry about.”

Armin sighed, “are you sure Eren? What if it’s wore off?”

Marco joined in. “Yeah, what if this guy is going there to hurt you guys? What if Jean’s got something planned? He’s crazy now, I don’t even think he knows where he is half the time!” He shouted, getting upset. Armin pulled Marco under one of his arms, and walked with him.

“The restraining order lasts until next year.” Eren continued. He didn’t know that. “It might just be some other guy with a similar name for all we know! I’m sure there’s plenty of Oruo’s in the world!” He knew for definite that it was the same Oruo. He just needed their life to stay normal. If another threat showed up, all of the work they’d done to help Marco would have been wasted… Eren just needed Marco to feel as he would usually.

Armin spoke up, “hopefully it’s not that guy, but even if it is any security cameras in the area will pick him up instantly!” he encouraged.

Marco was still unsure.

“What about Jean?” He mumbled.

Eren laughed, “that jerk? I’d like to see him even glance in our direction!” He turned around and put an arm around Marco. The three were walking in a line now, all connected. “We’ll protect you no matter what.” Eren exclaimed, and Armin nodded. They arrived at Marco’s road, and disentangled from one another.

“Meet at the Pizza Place at 7?” Eren questioned, checking that the time they’d agreed to was still suitable.

“Yeah, that’s fine, see you there!” Marco waved bye and turned around, walking down his road.

Armin turned to Eren.

“What the fuck are we going to do?!”.

\---

Armin was incredibly pissed at Eren, to say the least. On the walk to Armin’s house, all Armin did was whisper angrily at Eren, and to be completely honest Eren didn’t blame him. He’d tried to explain himself, but Armin was having none of it. It was a shit idea. The shittiest idea in the world. A witch, a shifter, and a vampire that had previously tried to murder Eren, Mikasa and Erwin all in the same room? Let alone having Jean and Marco in the same room, too! This was going to be a disaster, no matter how you looked at it.

**_Group chat –_ **

**_Angry boy: Pizza Place at 7! Be there or eat shit!_** **_(17:36)_**

Armin rolled his eyes at Eren’s language. “You’re such a child.” Armin shook his head, laughing at the immaturity.

“We’re all children, Armin. Just because you’re sixteen already, doesn’t mean you’re anymore adult than me.” Eren replied, sass evident. Armin laughed.

“I will always be more mature than you.” Armin rolled his eyes, putting his phone down.

**_Hunger in human form: I will be dead when I deny pizza. (17:40)_ **

Eren and Armin were changed and ready to leave, sitting around in the front room of Armin’s house with his Samoyed called Bean sitting over the both of them. Armin’s iPod was plugged in to the sound system, and they’d put a random YouTube k-pop playlist on. VIXX’s ‘Voodoo Doll’ was currently playing in the background.

They listened to k-pop and did some coursework while waiting for 18:45, when they would leave to head to the Pizza Place.

**_Bald k-pop nerd: I will be there in my embarrassing merchandise, as always! (18:03)_ **

18:30. G-Dragon’s ‘Crooked’ was playing when they got a phone call from Freckled Jesus. Eren picked up the phone and put it on loud speaker as Armin turned the music off.

“Marco what’s,”

“Eren! How nice to hear you!” came the voice on the end of the phone, barely recognisable. Armin fell over at the voice, and Eren dropped his phone. Laughter came out of the phone. “I suppose you just dropped the phone. I see I still scare the shit out of you! How lovely!” Oruo laughed, hiccupping slightly. He was drunk. _Great_.

“Where the fuck is Marco.” Eren growled, anger and adrenaline bubbling inside his veins. His skin becoming translucent and grey at the same time. Where the fuck was he? Where was Marco? How did he _get_ Marco?

Oruo laughed. “Oh, your little friend is here, sort of… just barely here, though.” He giggled manically.

The scent of mint and herbs became apparent as Eren saw Armin’s hair grow longer, and his skin turn dappled grey – his clothes disappeared and his skin had the texture of stone. Eren’s adrenaline must have set Armin’s powers off. Bean was whimpering gently at the onslaught of scents. Eren took a few deep breaths.

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?! Where the fuck is he, asshole?!” Eren shouted angrily, while Armin came up next to him and placed his hand on his head, transferring any information he was getting from the phone call to Eren – any background noise, any voices, any heartbeats. There were birds, grass; two faint voices and three heartbeats… Reiner, Bertholdt and Marco. No Jean.

“He’s here, but barely. Work it out for yourself, kid.”

All of Eren’s blood surged into his eyes, his skin going transparent and his hair growing longer. Witch-stardust shifting was linked directly to his emotions, so that was his body’s choice to make.

“If he dies or you lay a single lip, tooth or tongue on him I will skin you alive.” Eren growled lowly, words barely audible.

Oruo giggled. “That would be torture if I weren’t already dead, dearie!” He laughed. Armin heard a loud thud and some shuffling, followed by Marco crying into something… a cloth?

“What do you want, shit lord?” Armin spoke, loudly, the unease apparent in his voice.

“Oh,” Oruo sounded genuinely surprised, “you have a friend with you, Eren? That’s adorable, really.”

“Stop patronising us and just tell us what you fucking want, dick bag.” Eren growled, picking up the phone and giving it to Armin, letting him analyse the information.

“Oh ho ho, exciting.” Oruo clapped, the sound echoing in their location; they’d moved, the thud must have been Marco falling onto the ground from wherever they were, the sounds were quiet now, but drier… they were in a building, or at least between buildings. Armin was using the information, mentally mapping out possible locations.

“It’s not what I want, you see,” Oruo spoke, “but more what your old friend Jean wants!” He laughed.

Armin’s brow furrowed, bits of stone crumbling off of his brow. So Jean was involved after all.

Oruo’s laugh vibrated off of two walls, and made a chain fence rattle. Armin stood up straight. He knew where they were.

“What is it?” Armin questioned.

“Marco, obviouslyyyy!” Oruo drawled out the word, and hiccupped. He seemed to stumble and shuffle about on the other end of the phone.

“Why?!” Eren growled, hairs standing on end, eyes glowing brighter by the second.

“He’s a bit… jealous… of your current friendship with the little freckled boy.” The vampire laughed loudly, cackling wildly. “It turns out he’s missed Marco so very much! And he wants him all to himself again! So here I am, doing dirty work as per usual!” He giggled, clapping his hands together.

“Be here in minutes or you’ll have no chance of seeing the boy again.” He whispered seriously, and put the phone down.

Armin grabbed Eren’s hand, and blinked them to the location.

\---

Orou’s face as Armin landed on top of him was a picture, he even bit his tongue as his jaw connected with the ground. He cried out in agony as Eren followed, landing on his lower back. Armin was crouched onto Oruo’s head as though he were a gargoyle hanging on the side of the building, crushing his face into the ground and letting his state take full form, getting heavier and heavier as seconds passed. Oruo was writhing beneath them.

Eren spotted Marco as he landed on Oruo, he was being held down by Reiner and Bertholdt, a scarf in his mouth kept him from speaking. The two of them screamed in horror as Eren leaped towards them, taking them both down in seconds – punching them in the gut simultaneously, winding them and pushing them back onto the wall behind them.

“What the fuck is that?!” Reiner screamed, before his head hit the wall and he was promptly knocked out.

“Reiner?!” Bertholdt screamed as he also hit his head, but recovered quickly. He lunged at Eren, taking a swipe at his head, but missing by sheer millimetres as Eren swept out of the way, turned around, and tripped him up. Bertholdt reached for his pocket, and pulled out a knife: Eren stood still. Bert lunged at Eren, driving the knife deep into his neck: and then he froze. Eren’s skin tore like paper, making the exact same sound, and there was no resistance from his skin against the knife.

It just slipped into his neck.

Eren reached up to the knife and removed it slowly, dropping it onto the ground. Bertholdt stumbled backwards and sprinted off, shouting apologies at Oruo and telling him he’d make sure Jean still payed him for getting this far.

“For fuck sake.” Oruo mumbled into the ground. “Humans are entirely useless, aren’t they?”

“I could say the same thing about you.” Armin quipped, “you’ve been trapped under me for the past five minutes.”

Oruo scoffed, “You’re fucking heavy kid, give me a break.”

Armin raised a hand and made a motion as though he was telling Oruo to shut up, but instead it pinned his limbs to his sides, and as Armin leapt off of his head Oruo’s body rose and floated vertically in the air.

“Where’s Jean?” Armin interrogated the drunkard vampire, stepping closer, his skin crumbling in the places where his limbs bent and extended.

“Kid’s at the Pizza Place, obviously,” he replied, pissed off. “He’s having some date with some girl who’s about two years older than him. He just wanted me to do his dirty work while he continued living his fantasy.” Oruo wasn’t lying, Armin could tell.

“Did you touch Marco?” Eren growled, getting up in Oruo’s face, his skin steaming.

Oruo coughed at the combined sea air/mint scent Eren was giving off. “I never touched the kid. I just supervised.”

Armin walked over to Marco and picked him up, removing the cloth from around his mouth and conjured up some water, handing it to the boy. Marco was crying, and he did all h could to not stare at Armin and Eren.

“It’s okay, Marco,” Armin reassured, taking a step back to give him some space, “you can look.”

Eren got very close to Oruo and put his hands on either side of his head; he could crush his skull right here, and end his life. He deserved that, but Marco didn’t deserve to see that. Not at all. Marco didn’t deserve any of this.

“This plan of yours has failed miserably,” Eren whispered to Oruo, staring straight into his eyes with his bright orbs. “As far as security cameras are aware, you tried to mug Marco, and as far as the police are aware, your restraining order isn’t over. And it won’t be over for a long time. You’re permitted no closer than two miles away from Marco’s house, the café, Armin’s house or the school. Do you understand?” Eren growled.

Oruo looked genuinely terrified, and he nodded his head quickly.

“The police are on their way, Eren.” Armin spoke. “We need to shift.”

Eren stepped away from Oruo, and conjured up some battered old looking rope that could have just been lying around between these houses that wound around the vampire and kept him immobile. Turning towards Armin, Eren glanced at Marco, who stared in awe at his two friends.

Eren ran towards the boy, and hugged him tightly. Marco hugged back, and Armin joined in. They stayed like that for a while, and finally Marco started crying. The two boys comforted their freckled friend.

“What the fuck was that?” Marco stuttered.

Eren and Armin sighed.

“Well explain everything after the police get here.”

Sirens rang in the distance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It won't make sense right now, but it felt right to put this chapter here. I hope you enjoyed :)  
> Baby x


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